A suspicious object was reported on Tuesday evening near a BMX track off the Donegall Road and Army technical officers were deployed.

Following further searches on Wednesday, the four viable devices were found in the Bentham Drive area.

A police spokesperson said the devices had been removed for further examination.

It is believed rail services were disrupted for a time to the security alert.

Commenting on the discovery, Chief Inspector Trevor O'Neill said: "We believe that the devices are linked to loyalist paramilitaries and let me be clear - there is absolutely no place in a civilised society for people to be acquiring crude devices for whatever their misguided purposes are.

"Thankfully these devices have now been taken out of circulation.

"Society is moving forward and it is vital that we have the continued support of all the community to ensure that incidents like this are firmly confined to the past," he added.

Meanwhile, police have also disclosed a man was arrested on Tuesday night after cannabis with a street value of £500,000 was seized.

The 26-year-old man, who is being questioned, was stopped by drug squad officers in the Upper Lisburn Road area of Belfast.